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The move signals a strong recovery of private equity exits in the region, where high interest rates, challenging capital markets and bleak economic outlook after the coronavirus pandemic had dampened IPOs and M&A prospects and hurt returns. Sign up here. "This year is going to be our big year for Asia liquidity," Bae said at a global financial leaders' summit in Hong Kong. "Half of our global distributions and private equity are going to come out of Asia, which really speaks to the capital market development." The total amount of capital returned to investors from KKR's Asia private equity investments has exceeded $7.3 billion this year, said a person with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be named as the information was not public. "KKR Asia is by far, at least in private equity, our fastest growing business and the one we see the most unique opportunities in this environment," Bae said. KKR declined to comment. Bae's remarks came as Hong Kong's capital markets have bounced back in 2025 from hitting a near decade-low a year ago, while Asia's stock markets from Tokyo to Taipei have scaled record highs in recent weeks. All three deals reaped multiple returns from KKR's original investments, public disclosures showed. Reporting by Kane Wu; Editing by Lincoln Feast. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Kane Wu covers M&A, private equity, venture capital and investment banks in Asia. She tracks the region's most high-profile deals, fundraisings as well as investment trends amidst geopolitical, macroeconomic and regulatory changes. She was nominated for a SOPA Excellence in Business Reporting award for coverage of China regulatory crackdown in 2021. Prior to Reuters, she worked at the Wall Street Journal and also wrote about Asia's loan market for Thomson Reuters Basis Point. She is based in Hong Kong.
